Top 5 picks by Rajasthan Royals in IPL history

The Rajasthan Royals were the winners of the inaugural IPL held in 2008. The team that was considered weak initially, went on to win the coveted trophy under the leadership of Shane Warne. Later on, under the captaincy of Shane Watson and coaching of Rahul Dravid, a relatively young team started producing some great results.

Through the years they have had some wonderful players and have had some great seasons which was a result of some smart buys made during the auctions. They reaped fruitful results with both their expensive as well as the economical buys. The Royals usually procure cricketers who are not very eminent at very low prices.

They are well-known for their economical disbursements during the IPL auctions, even during the mega-auctions that take place once in 3 years.

Let us have a look at the five best buys made by the Royals over the years.

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5. Jos Buttler

The wicketkeeper-batsman was taken in by RR for a sum of Rs. 4.40 Crores during the 2018 auction. Buttler struggled to get going during the initial stages of IPL-2018 when he was batting in the middle order. His scores when he batted down the order were 10, 6, 22, 24*, 23, 29 and 6.

Once he started opening the innings, Buttler's performances improved remarkably. His blistering performances helped the Rajasthan Royals qualify for the playoffs. He scored 548 runs in 2018 IPL with five 50+ scores at a strike rate of 150. His consistent knocks at the top made sure that the Rajasthan Royals rose from the bottom position in the table to the 4th position.

RR won 4 matches out of 5 when Jos Buttler opened the batting. He did not play the eliminator due to national duty and RR eventually lost the game. He turned out to be the best buy of the season for the management.

4. Shane Warne

Shane Warne

Arguably the greatest spinner in the history of cricket, Shane Warne was signed during the inaugural IPL auctions by the Rajasthan Royals for USD 450,000. Warne was made the skipper of the Jaipur-based franchise. The decision itself raised eyebrows of many cricketing experts.

However, the wizard showed some great skills and temperament as the skipper of the side. His decisions to make Shane Watson open the innings as well as the way he used Yusuf Pathan as a floater, were amongst the best tactical moves of the season.

When it comes to personal achievements, Warne picked up 57 wickets for the Royals in 55 matches at an economy of 7.27. He also managed to hammer a few deliveries over the ropes and provided the Royals with some crucial runs in the death overs. Warne was a key player for the team for four years but it was his shrewd captaincy that took overshadowed his individual performances.

3. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson

Similar to Ajinkya Rahane, a lot of Samson's success was due to the efforts of Rahul Dravid. The wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala was signed by the team in 2013. Before that, he had played for the Kolkata Knight Riders but could not do anything of note for them. His excellent technique against the fast bowlers invited praise from several cricketing greats.

He has played some outstanding knocks for the Royals over the years. Sanju carries his good form in the Champions League Twenty20, scoring 192 runs in 6 matches including three half-centuries with an average of 39. He had a prolific tournament hitting 22 fours and five sixes along the way.

He had a poor run in the eighth edition of the IPL. When the team returned after a two-year ban he was taken in at a price of Rs. 8 Crore and played good knocks to ascertain his position in the team.

2. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan had the time of his life at the Rajasthan Royals. He was picked by RR at a price of Rs. 1.9 Crore in 2008. During the inaugural season, Pathan was Royals's biggest match-winner, scoring runs wherever he batted and took wickets whenever his captain threw him the ball.

Everyone would remember his innings against the Mumbai Indians in 2010 in which he registered an astonishing century off just 37 deliveries. He played 43 matches for Rajasthan Royals and scored 1001 runs at a fabulous strike rate of 161.24. Yusuf also picked up 20 wickets at an economy of 7.39.

During his tenure at RR, Yusuf won nine Man of the Match awards. His knock against the Chennai Super Kings in the final of the inaugural IPL was very crucial for the Royals as it helped them clinch the title in 2008.

1. Shane Watson

Shane Watson

The star Australian All-rounder was picked up by the Royals in the inaugural IPL auctions for USD 125,000. Watson was very consistent both with the bat and the ball during the 2008 season and emerged with the most valuable player of the tournament award for his all-round performance of 472 runs and 17 wickets.

He played a lot of match-winning innings and was a dependable player for the team for many seasons. Watson scored his maiden century in T20 cricket against the Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He scored a flamboyant 101 runs off 61 balls. His solid performances continued and he subsequently went on to win the 2013 Man of the Tournament award as well.

When the player auctions were held in 2014, Watson was retained by the Royals for USD $2 million, making him the highest-paid foreign player and one of the few international cricketers to play for the same IPL franchise from the commencement of the tournament. He was also appointed the captain of the team for the 2014 season.